Towards a fully-facilitated modelling approach: a successful project and further obstacles

Arrival: 12pm Seminar: 12.15pm - 1.15pm.

Tea, coffee and sandwiches provided (please register if you want these, and to guarantee a seat!)

Speakers

Stefania Bisogno, Visiting Researcher, MBS and PhD Student, University of Rome "Tor Vergata"

Abstract

In response to frustrating lack of practical impact of computer simulation of patient flows, the operational research literature shows there is growing interest in understanding the barriers to modelling in healthcare, in particular stakeholder engagement. The focus of efforts to increase stakeholder engagement in such projects is on striving for a ‘fully-facilitated’ modelling approach, meaning doing all modelling ‘live’ with the stakeholders. We have investigated how and under what circumstances this can be possible in practice. This work arose from an action-research project with an Italian hospital, plus a wider and longer programme of action research engagement with an NHS acute hospital trust (Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, SRFT). As action research, the SRFT work is made up of a series of embedded, evolving field experiments with the researchers acting as and working alongside change agents with the aim of improving practical outcomes and describing raw insights that result from the change. The main findings are that fully-facilitated modelling is achievable, under some circumstances, but that under others further barriers emerge related to the complexity of healthcare systems and the limitations of current software tools.

About the speaker

Stefania Bisogno is a Visiting Researcher at the University of Manchester developing a wider research programme with Dr Nathan Proudlove and also further collaborations with colleagues at Manchester Business School and Lancaster University Management School.

Stefania is about to complete her PhD (by publication) at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata” and has had journal publications accepted and in 2nd review. Her PhD thesis concerns systems performance management and process improvement, involving process analysis, modelling and simulation.

Stefania has 3 years of research experience in Italy and the UK working with healthcare staff to understand and analyse healthcare delivery systems. She has nearly 10 years of higher education in engineering (Civil Engineering and now Management Engineering, the latter might equate roughly to Operations Management and Operational Research in the UK/US). I also have a year of work experience as an assistant project manager in the global engineering consulting firm Arup and in a smaller technology firm.